Day 2 of 57 during Delayed Intensification One

We were pleasantly surprised to go to the clinic yesterday and find out that Elliot’s counts were up enough to start this next phase. His AGC had to be above 750 and just four days earlier on the previous Thursday it was ZERO. The doctor told us Elliot had a greater than 50% chance of being admitted to the hospital over this past weekend with a fever, but he remained fever-free!! We are thankful to our God for answering our prayers and protecting him. Everyone at the clinic was very doubtful that his AGC would be up enough yesterday to start this next phase, but it was just barely up enough – 765.

The kick-off of this phase was a busy day. We got to the clinic at 7:30, did lab work, the clinic staff accessed his port, gave him zofran (for nauseous from the chemo), and then the pediatric intensivist doctor sedated him. Once he was asleep, a vascular technician from the hospital came over and did an echocardiogram (he had one of these when he was first diagnosed for a baseline). The doctors needed to make sure his heart was still healthy in order to begin this next phase, which it was!. Then he got a lumbar puncture with spinal methotrexate, and 2 different types of IV chemo. Oh, and he got his flu shot :). We certainly don’t need any flu going around our household this year!

We also started him on steroids last night at home. He will be taking steroids for the next 7 days, then a 7 day break, then 7 more days. Steroids hit him very hard last time he was on them, so please pray that he will tolerate them well and that God will give extra grace and patience to mom, dad, and sister. We go back to the clinic on Friday for a different type of IV chemo (PEG).

Psalm 66:19 – “But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God..."